Hydrotherapeutic bathtub apparatus with inlet below the overflow opening



p 1957 o. c. STEZLTZ ETAL 3,340,370 HYDROTHERAPEUTIC BATHTUB APPARATUSWITH lNLET BELOW THE OVERFLOW OPENING Filed Sept. 22, 1964 2Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS Douams' C -5TLT2 Rig-MRO C SCHNEIDER B Ijack-us jiar/f'e flflorzys p 12, 1967 D. C.'STELTZ ETAL 3,340,870

HYDROTHERAPEUTIC BATHTUB APPARATUS WITH INLET BELOW THE OVERFLOW OPENINGFiled Sept. 22, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N VEN TORj 000G145 512272R/cHA/w C. jaunt/05R BY l/Ilnru; f Sierk United States Patent ABSTRACTOF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a hydortherapeutic unitwhich is permanently installed with a bathtub or tank. The pump .andmotor of the therapeutic unit are mounted outside of the tub, and wateris supplied to the nozzle assembly located within the tub through aninlet opening provided in the end wall of the tub beneath the wastevalve control opening. Water is ejected under high pressure from thenozzle assembly within the body of water in the tub and is recirculatedto the pump through a return line which communiactes with the drainopening in the bottom of the tub.

This invention relates to a hydrotherapeutic apparatus to be installedin a bathtub or other water tank.

The conventional hydrotherapeutic unit which is used for the treatmentof sore muscles, rheumatic conditions or the like, includes a motordriven pump and the outlet of the pump is connected to a nozzle assemblywhich is located within the tub or tank beneath the water level. Wateris ejected under high pressure through the nozzle assembly and isdirected against the portion of the body undergoing treatment. An airinlet pipe is normally associated with the nozzle assembly and the waterbeing ejected through the nozzle creates an aspirating eifect whichdraws .air into the nozzle assembly and provides an aerated highpressure stream of water.

In one common type of hydrotherapeutic unit the entire unit, includingthe motor and pump, is located in the tub or tank in contact with thewater. With units of this type the electrical connections to the motorhave to be positively insulated to prevent shorting, and in many casespeople are reluctant to use a unit of this type, knowing the inherentdanger involved in operating an electrical device in water.

In another common typeof hydrotherapeutic unit, the motor and pump arelocated outside of the tank while the nozzle assembly is located withinthe tank or tub and is connected to the pump by long hoses. A unit ofthis type, when used with a household bathtub, requires assembly anddisassembly at the start and completion of each period of use.Furthermore, the entire unit including the long hoses, pump and motormust be handled and stored during periods of non-use.

The present invention is directed to a hydrotherapeutic unit'which ispermanently installed with a standard bathtub or other water tank.According to the invention the pump and motor are mounted outside of thetub, and

water is supplied to the nozzle assembly located in the tub through aninlet opening provided in the end wall of the tub beneath the wastelevel control opening. Water is ejected under high pressure from thenozzle assembly within the body of water in the tub and is recirculatedto the pump through a return line which communicates with the drainopening in the bottom of the tub.

The hydrotherapeutic apparatus of the invention can be used withhousehold bathtubs, tanks, pools, or the like. It is particularlyadapted to be installed with bathtubs in new building construction, butcan also be installed with existing tubs.

3,340t87ll Patented Sept. 12, 1967 As the pump and motor are locatedoutside of the tub, the inherent danger of a possible electrical shortis eliminated and this provides a distinct advantage over units in whichthe pump and motor are submerged in the water in the tub.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the course of the followingdescription.

The drawings illustrate the best mode presently contemplated of carryingout the invention.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical section of the hydrotherapeutic unit as installedin a standard bathtub.

FIG. 2 is an end view of the bathtub.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical section showing the Water inlet conduitextending through the tub; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view with parts brokenaway in section showing the waste control knob and connection to thewaste valve rod.

The drawings illustrate a hydrotherapeutic unit installed with astandard bathtub 1. The hydrotherapeutic unit, in general, includes anozzle assembly 2 which is located within the tub 1 and water issupplied to the nozzle assembly by a motor-pump unit, not shown, whichis mounted outside of the tub in any convenient location. For example,the motor-pump unit can be mounted on the partition wall studs, ormounted on the floor joists beneath the tub.

As best shown in FIG. 1, the bathtub 1 is provided with a standard drainopening 3. A drain fitting 4 is secured within the opening 3 and thelower end of fitting 4 is connected to the upper end of an elbow 5 whilethe opposite end of the elbow is connected by pipe 6 to a standard Wastefitting 7. Waste fitting 7 defines a valve seat 8 which is adapted to beclosed off by a conventional gate valve 9. The lower end 10 of fitting 7is threaded and is adapted to be connected to a drainage pipe.

The elbow 5 is also provided with a nipple 11 and a hose or conduit 12is clamped, or otherwise secured, to nipple 11. The hose 12 is connectedto the suction or inlet side of a conventional motor driven pump .andwhen the unit is in operation, and the valve 9 is closed, water willbedrawn from the tub through the drain fitting 4 and flow through hose 12to the pump.

The nozzle assembly 2, which is located within the tub 1, is similar tothat disclosed in the copendiug application, Ser. No. 386,921, filedAug. 3, 1964, of the same inventors. Generally, the nozzle assemblyincludes a tubular body 13 which is provided with an outlet 14 ofreduced diameter. A tapered nozzle 15 is located within the body and isprovided with an outwardly extending flange 16 which bears against ashoulder 17 formed in the body 13. The flange 16 is maintained in tightbearing. engagement with shoulder 17 by an adapter 18 which is threadedinto the end of the body 13.

To provide universal movement for the nozzle, a socket member 19 isthreaded onto the adapter and defines a generally spherical surface orsocket which receives the ball portion 20 of a Water inlet pipe 21. Withthis ball and socket type of connection, the bod-y 13 0f the nozzle canbe moved in all directions with respect to the pipe 21.

Air is drawn into the high pressure liquid stream through a standpipe 22which communicates with the body 13. The upper open end of standpipe 22extends above the level of water in tub I and is enclosed by a rotatablecap 23. A series of air inlet openings 24 are provided in the pipe 22and the cap 23 is provided with a similar number of openings 25. Byrotating cap 23, the openings 25 can be brought into partial or fullalignment with openings 24 to thereby control the air flow into thestand-pipe 22.

During operation, the nozzle assembly itself is located beneath waterlevel and the upper end of the standpipe will project upwardly of thewater level so that air can be dnawn in through the openings 24 and 25by the aspirating effect of the water being discharged through thetapered nozzle 15. Air being drawn through the standpipe will be mixedwith the water stream to provide an aerated high pressure stream ofwater which is discharged from the outlet 14.

Pipe 21 is connected to an elbow 25 and the upper end of the elbow isprovided with a flange 27 which is located within an opening in afitting 28. A nut 29 is threaded within the opening in the fitting 28,and the upper end of the nut bears against the flange 27 to prevent theelbow from being displaced from the fitting. This connection, however,permits the elbow 26, as well as the nozzle assembly 2, to be pivotedabout the axis of the nut 29 so that the entire nozzle assembly andelbow 26 can be pivoted to a position close to the end wall of the tubwhen the hydrotherapeutic unit is not in operation.

The fitting 28 is also provided with a flange 30 which bears against theinner surface of the tub 1, and fitting 28 is also formed with athreaded portion 31 which projects outwardly through an opening 32formed in the end wall of the tub. The fitting 28 is secured to the tubwall by a nut 33 which is threaded on the end 31 and bears against adisc located against the outer wall of the tub. By threading down thenut 33, the flange 30 of the fitting 28 is drawn tightly against theinner wall of the tub.

The end 34 of fitting 28 has a reduced diameter over that of thethreaded portion 31 and a hose or conduit 35 is clamped to the end 34and is connected to the outlet or discharge side of the pump.

Conduits 12 and 35 are preferably formed of nonmetallic, electricallyinsulating materials so that there is no metal-to-metal connectionbetween the motor-pump unit and the nozzle assembly 2.

With this construction, water under high pressure is discharged from thepump and passes through the hose 35 and fitting 28 to the nozzleassembly 2 where it is discharged as a high pressure aerated stream intothe body of water located within the tub. The water is continuous- -lywithdrawn from the tub through drain fitting 4 and is recirculatedthrough hose 12 to the pump.

In order to provide a uniform discharge of high pressur'ed water for allareas of the tub, it is important that the nozzle assembly 2 be mountedalong the longitudinal center line of the tub 1, as shown in thedrawings. To mount the nozzle assembly along the center line, it isnecessary to alter the normal construction of the waste valve control.The waste valve 9 is secured to the lower end of the vertical rod 36which extends upwardly within a tube 37, depending from the lower end ofa housing 38. The housing 38 bears against the outer surface of the tubwall and is provided with a pair of bosses 39 which extend through thewaste control opening in the end wall of the tub. A ring 40 ispositioned against the inner wall of the tub, and a series of screws 41extend through the ring and are threaded within the bosses 39 to firmlyposition the ring and housing 38 in relation to the bathub.

A knurled hand knob 42 is provided with an inner section 43 of reduceddiameter which is rotatably mounted within the central opening in thering 40. A shaft 44 is threaded within an opening in the inner section43 of knob 42 and is pivotally connected to one end of a link 45. Theother end of link 43 is connected to the upper end of the valve rod 36.With this construction, rotation of the hand knob 42 will pivot the link45 to thereby move the rod 36 in a generally vertical path of movement.Link 45 provides an offset so that the valve control rod 36 will extenddownwardly at a location spaced from the longitudinal center line of thetub and thus will not interfere with the connections to the nozzleassembly 2.

To maintain the valve in the open position, a ball or detent 46 ismounted within a recess 47 formed in the inner section 43 of knob 42 andis adapted to engage a socket 48 in the inner wall of ring 40. The ball46 is urged outwardly by a coil spring 49 which is located within therecess 47. The socket 48 is positioned so that when the knob 42 isrotated, the ball 46 will engage the socket 48 when the valve is in theopen position and the engagement will prevent the valve from falling bygravity to the closed position.

To control the flow of water through the nozzle assembly, a valve 50 islocated within the fitting 28 and is adapted to seat on a valve seat 51.The valve 50 is connected to the inner end of a stem 52 which isthreaded within an opening in the fitting. A knob 53 is secured to theend of stem 52 and by turning the knob the valve 56) can be opened andclosed to regulate the flow of water to the nozzle assembly. The valve50 permits the user of the unit to adjust the pressure of the dischargedwater stream to his liking and also enables the pressure to be reducedduring cleaning when the tub is empty so that splashing will beminimized.

As both the pump and the motor are located outside of the tub, thepresent unit eliminates the inherent danger which is present with adevice in which the pump and motor are located within the water in thebathtub. The pump motor can be actuated by a switch located asubstantial distance from the tub, or, alternately a low voltage circuitcan be used in which case the switch can be located adjacent the tub.

The water is supplied to the nozzle assembly through opening 32 formedin the end wall of the tub beneath the normal waste valve controlopening, and because of this, the unit is particularly adaptable forinstallation in new construction, in which case the tub would bepreformed with the opening 32. In the case of existing tubs, the opening32 has to be drilled in the end wall of the tub.

As it is important that the nozzle assembly be located along thelongitudinal center line of the tub to provide proper water flow,provision is made for altering the position of the waste valve controlrod so that the actuating lever is along the longitudinal center line ofthe tub, while the rod itself is oflset from the center line where itwill gin interfere with the water supply to the nozzle assem- The nozzleassembly itself is provided with two separate types of movement. Thenozzle assembly is connected through a ball and socket joint to theelbow 26, the elbow, in turn, is mounted by a swivel connection to thefitting 28. This construction enables the nozzle assembly to be moveduniversally to direct the water in all directions against the portion ofthe body to be treated. In addition, the swivel connection with thefitting 28 enables the entire nozzle assembly 2 and the elbow 26 to beswung against the end wall of the tub I when the unit is not in use sothat the nozzle assembly will not interfere with normal use of thebathtub.

Various modes of carrying out the invention are contemplated as beingwithin the scope of the following claims particularly pointing out anddistinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as theinvention.

We claim:

1. A hydrotherapeutic unit, comprising a bathtub having a drain openingin the bottom surface thereof and having a waste valve control openingin the end wall of the tub in alignment with the longitudinal centerline of the tub, said tub having a second opening in the end walldisposed along the longitudinal center line of the tub and locatedbeneath said waste control opening, supply conduit means extendingwithin the second opening in said tub for supplying liquid from a pumpto the tub, a nozzle assembly located within the tub and connected tosaid supply conduit means, return conduit means communicating with thedrain opening in the tub for returnconduit means communicating with saidreturn conduit means, valve means disposed in said drain conduit meansfor selectively opening and closing said drain conduit means, a controlmember connected to said valve means and extending upwardly along theouter surface of the bathtub, said control member being spaced laterallyfrom the longitudinal center line of the bathtub, and an actuatingmember extending through said waste valve control opening and connectedto said control member.

2. A hydrotherapeutic unit, comprising a bathtub having a drain openingin the bottom surface thereof and having a waste valve control openingin the end wall of the tub in alignment with the longitudinal centerline of the tub, said tub also having a second opening in the end Walldisposed along the longitudinal center line of the tub and locatedbeneath said waste control opening, a liquid inlet conduit extendingwithin the second opening and adapted to supply liquid from the outletof a pump to the tub, a nozzle assembly located within the tub andconnected to the inlet conduit, a return conduit communicating with thedrain opening in the tub and adapted to return water from the tub to theinlet of the pump, a drain conduit communicating with the return conduitmeans, a valve disposed in the drain conduit for selectively opening andclosing said drain conduit, said valve being offset from a plane passingthrough the longitudinal center line of the tub, a control memberconnected to the valve and extending vertically along the outer surfaceof the tub, and actuating means extending through the waste controlopening in the tub and connected to the upper end of said controlmember.

3. The structure of claim 2 in which said actuating means includes amanually operable actuating member disposed in the tub and extendingthrough the waste control opening and a link extends laterally from theinner end of said actuating member and is connected to the upper end ofthe control member.

4. The structure of claim 2, in Which said supply conduit means and saidreturn conduit means are formed at least in part of electricallyinsulating material to prevent an electrical conductive connectionbetween said pumping means and said nozzle assembly.

5. A hydrotherapeutic unit, comprising a bathtub having a drain openingin the bottom surface thereof and having a waste valve control openingin the end wall of the tub, said tub having a second opening in the endwall located at a level beneath the said waste control opening, supplyconduit means extending within the second opening in said tub forsupplying liquid from a pump to the tub, a nozzle assembly locatedwithin the tub and connected to said supply conduit means, returnconduit means communicating with the drain opening in the tub forreturning water from the tub to the inlet side of the pump, drain meanscommunicating with one of said conduit means, valve means disposed insaid drain means for selectively opening and closing said drain means, acontrol member connected to said valve means and extending upwardlyalong the outer surface of the end Wall of the tub and disposed in agenerally vertical plane offset from a vertical plane extending throughsaid second opening and an actuating member extending through said wastevalve control opening and connected to said control member.

6. The unit of claim 5, and including an elbow disposed within the tub,said elbow having a generally vertical portion extending downwardlyalong said end wall and connected to said supply conduit means, and saidelbow having a generally horizontal portion connected to said verticalportion, said nozzle assembly being connected to said horizontalportion.

7. The structure of claim 6 in which the elbow is pivotally connected tosaid supply conduit means whereby the elbow and said nozzle assembly canbe swivelled in a horizontal plane within the tub.

8. The structure of claim 6 in which the nozzle assembly is connected tosaid elbow through a universal joint to permit the nozzle to moveuniversally with respect to the elbow.

9. The structure of claim 5, and including valve means disposed in saidsupply conduit means for regulating the flow of water through saidsupply conduit means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,091,167 8/ 1937 Solley.3,159,849 12/1964 Jacuzzi 4180 3,271,790 9/1966 Schneider et al. 4180RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner.

L. W. TRAPP, Examiner.

5. A HYDROTHERAPEUTIC UNIT, COMPRISING A BATHTUB HAVING A DRAIN OPENINGIN THE BOTTOM SURFACE THEREOF AND HAVING A WASTE VALVE CONTROL OPENINGIN THE END WALL OF THE TUB, SAID TUB HAVING A SECOND OPENING IN THE ENDWALL LOCATED AT A LEVEL BENEATH THE SAID WASTE CONTROL OPENING, SUPPLYCONDUIT MEANS EXTENDING WITHIN THE SECOND OPENING IN SAID TUB FORSUPPLYING LIQUID FROM A PUMP TO THE TUB, A NOZZLE ASSEMBLY LOCATEDWITHIN THE TUB AND CONNECTED TO SAID SUPPLY CONDUIT MEANS, RETURNCONDUIT MEANS COMMUNICATING WITH THE DRAIN OPENING IN THE TUB FORRETURNING WATER FROM THE TUB TO THE INLET SIDE OF THE PUMP, DRAIN MEANSCOMMUNICATING WITH ONE OF SAID CONDUIT MEANS, VALVE MEANS DISPOSED INSAID DRAIN MEANS, A FOR SELECTIVELY OPENING AND CLOSING SAID DRAINMEANS, A CONTROL MEMBER CONNECTED TO SAID VALVE MEANS AND EXTENDINGUPWARDLY ALONG THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE END WALL OF THE TUB AND DISPOSEDIN A GENERALLY VERTICAL PLANE OFFSET FROM A VERTICAL PLANE EXTENDINGTHROUGH SAID SECAND OPENING AND AN ACTUATING MEMBER EXTENDING THROUHGSAID WASTE VALVE CONTROL OPENING AND CONNECTED TO SAID CONTROL MEMBER.